Record breakers: filmmaker and friend visit five continents in one day to set a brand new record

A FILMMAKER and his friend who visited five continents in one day have had their feat recognised as a Guinness World Record.

On June 18, 2012, Adrian Butterworth, who runs Bournemouth-based Adelia TV, and his Norwegian best friend Gunnar Garfors, travelled from Istanbul in Turkey (Asia) to Caracas in Venezuela (South America) over a period of 28 hours and 25 minutes.

Because their journey – taking in Casablanca in Morocco (Africa), Paris in France (Europe), and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (North America) – crossed time zones the pair cleared customs in each country on the same calendar day.

On March 14, Guinness World Records confirmed their epic journey, completed entirely on scheduled public transport, was a brand new record: The most continents visited in a day.

“As we had set a brand new record the backroom boys at Guinness World Records had to create a whole new category for us,” said Mr Butterworth, 41, who lives in Hatfield Gardens.

“This has taken some time but a few weeks ago we heard they had verified the category.

“We had to show them our passports for the date stamps on the continents we visited, and our plane tickets.”

The pair met at university and Mr Garfors, who has through work and wanderlust visited every country in the world, asked his friend to make a film of the unique trip.

With the final element of their story in place they plan to finalise their documentary for TV.

Mr Butterworth added: “So despite being beset by flight delays, a near arrest in Istanbul and a very real fear of death in Venezuela, the record now stands – and we intend to break it.

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“I expect there will be other attempts, there are a number of similar records which people have achieved.

“Now we just need to work out how to get to either Antarctica or Australia as well as Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America in a calendar day.”

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